CITY OF LAGUNA NIGUEL
LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA. April 5, 2010 marks the starting date of a new effort to recycle
food wastes from businesses in Laguna Niguel and eight other Orange County cities.
Through a one-year $400,000 grant from the County of Orange Waste & Recycling
Department, food waste will be collected from five local businesses and taken to a
composting facility for recycling. The purpose of this pilot program is to test and evaluate
the effectiveness of food waste recycling for possible expansion to additional businesses next
year.
A restaurant, on average, disposes of more than 50 tons of organic waste every year.
Californians overall throw away more than 5 million tons of food scraps each year. Every
City in California is required to divert at least 50% of all of its waste away from landfills,
due to space constraints.
By participating in the food waste recycling program, local
businesses hope to reduce their trash disposal costs, while helping the City maintain
compliance with its recycling goals. The pilot program is expected to recycle up to 20 tons
of food waste every week.
Participating food businesses in Laguna Niguel include Henry’s Market, Mimi’s Café, TGI
Friday’s, Coco’s, and Fred’s Mexican Grill. The City’s waste and recycling hauler, CR&R
Inc., will provide each business with indoor and outdoor collection containers, employee
training assistance, and food waste pick-up service three times a week. Tonnage collected
will be posted monthly under the Recycling page on the City’s website at
http://www.ci.laguna-niguel.ca.us.
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